QuestionOk, I have 2 questions so thought I'd ask them both in one message :)
I have a 4 year old male Bichon. I regularly clean his eyes with warm water (used to use a mild baby shampoo but found it actually made the staining worse) and I managed to get his eyes almost completely clear, no tear staining at all. A week or so ago, I noticed his eyes were awful, they've gone very dark and badly stained almost overnight. No matter how much I clean them I cant seem to get the staining off and the fur around his eyes always looks wet. He's not rubbing his eyes or anything and the whites of his eyes are not bloodshot so I dont think he has an infection or anything. We recently gave him a new type of food because he had an operation and could only eat soft food, we thought the change had caused it but even after changing back to his old food it hasnt improved. I dont know what else to try! Do you have any suggestions?
My other question is my Bichon has some sort of obsession with licking his front left leg and his chest to that side. Whenever I try to play with him he stops to lick his leg and sometimes when he's just lying around he licks it too. I've had a look and I cant see any marks or anything to suggest he has a rash or anything, and he doesnt have fleas. I cant tell if its psychological or perhaps he has joint pain? He never yelps or anything if you touch it and he walks perfectly so I dont understand what his issue is!
Thanks a lot for your help.
AnswerHello Katie
I am afraid its allergy based either to pollen , having the sun come out will increase his allergies or diet based usually associated with the licking of body which turns the coat red. Warm water wont do much good so I suggest buying some angel delight paste from www.bichonhotel.co.uk
and apply as directed. It is 100% natural so wont do any harm even if he licks it, also buy some angel delight powder from same distributors apply to food as directed.
or start a diet based on 100% natural foods like lamb, chicken, turkey , pork, carrots , mashed potatoes, cucumber, deseeded tomatoes, brocolli , spinach, venison, tinned pilchards (drained) tinned or fresh cooked salmon , venison, duck, pigeon, rabbit, tripe, garden peas, goats milk, probiotic yoghurt, apple slices, pear slices, blueberries,raspberries. and plenty of water.
You can give 1/2 benadryl to stop the itching but this should be given by a vet. Its the same tablet we use for hayfever in the human world and will stop him itching at the area.
You can also wash him in neem oil shampoo also from bichonhotel. Its natural and will also cleanse his coat whilst soothing the skin.
Good luck
You can also log into www.eurobichons.com
a site designed for this group of dogs that has alot of helpful advice on about health.
